Despite the United States’ temporary sanctions reprieve expiring, India will keep purchasing LPG and crude oil from Russia. According to officials, India’s energy strategy would continue to be independent of US policy choices, concentrating instead on supply reliability and cost effectiveness.
Due to global supply worries brought on by the conflict in West Asia, the US had temporarily permitted transactions involving Russian oil already in transit. But now that the waiver has ended, India intends to keep importing through non-sanctioned companies in order to maintain supply chains and ensure compliance.
Indian refiners are actively negotiating future deals and have already secured around 800,000 tonnes of LPG from multiple sources, including Russia, Australia, and the US. Although Russia’s proportion of LPG is still quite tiny, talks to boost volumes are still going on. In the meantime, the US is still India’s main supplier of LPG, making up around 10% of the country’s entire consumption in 2026.
Crude sourcing patterns have seen a notable change. Due to geopolitical unrest, West Asia’s share of India’s oil imports has decreased from over 60% to almost 30%. On the other hand, Russian crude imports have increased, and India is now the world’s second-largest consumer, behind China.
Analysis shows that when cheap oil became more accessible in spot markets, imports from Russia increased significantly, particularly by state-owned refiners. With oil now sourced from over 41 countries as opposed to just 27 previously, this change underscores India’s larger strategy of diversifying energy supplies.
With about 340 million Indian families using LPG for cooking, the situation is dire. The government is under further pressure to acquire alternate supplies as a result of supply disruptions from West Asia, especially because of limitations surrounding important shipping routes.
The government has made sure that LPG supplies is steady despite worldwide concerns; no significant shortages have been observed. Disruptions have been avoided by taking steps like increasing domestic output and giving household supply priority.
All things considered, India’s ongoing imports from Russia demonstrate a practical, diversified energy policy meant to strike a balance between geopolitical concerns and local demand requirements.
